Framed panels made predominantly of wood, wood byproducts, such as presswood or particle board, or other structural materials and framed panels made predominantly of sound-absorbing materials are used widely in office consoles, office partitions, and similar structures Office consoles are exemplified by telemarketing consoles, which may be equipped with telephones, computer terminals, and other telemarketing equipment.
Typically, such a panel is rectangular and is framed by a panel-framing assembly comprising frame members extending along the respective edges of the panel, corner connectors connecting the frame members at the respective corners of the panel-framing assembly, and retaining or molding strips. The retaining or molding strips retain the panel, along its respective edges, and conceal any minor flaws along the respective edges of the panel.
Commonly, the frame members are made from metal tubing with a generally rectangular cross-section. The cross-section of such tubing may be generally square. Commonly, the retaining or molding strips are extruded from a polymeric material.
In such a panel-framing assembly, the retaining or molding strips must be adequately secured to the frame members, along the respective edges of the panel. One way to secure the retaining or molding strips is disclosed in Peterson U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,405. As disclosed therein, the retaining or molding strips on a given side of the panel have a particular shape and are secured adhesively to the frame members, and the retaining or molding strips on the other side of the panel have a complementary shape and are secured mechanically to the adhesively secured strips.
A disadvantage of securing a retaining or molding strip adhesively to a frame member is that the strip to be adhesively secured must be precisely positioned along and between opposite sides of the frame member. Another disadvantage is that the adhesively secured strip cannot be easily removed when it is desired to repair, rearrange, or disassemble the panel-framing assembly.
Hence, there has been a need, to which this invention is addressed, for an improved way to secure the retaining or molding strips to the frame members.